Shloka 2

उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy

Opening

Devanagari script

स्थापयित्वा च मर्यादा: स्वयम्भुविहिता: शुभा: । वन॑ पुण्ययश:कर्मा रमणीयं प्रवेक्ष्यति,उनका यश तथा कर्म सभी परम पावन होंगे। वे ब्रह्माजीकी चलायी हुई मंगलमयी मर्यादाओंकी स्थापना करके (तपस्याके लिये) रमणीय वनमें प्रवेश करेंगे

Transliteration

sthāpayitvā ca maryādāḥ svayambhuvihitāḥ śubhāḥ | vanaṁ puṇyayaśaḥkarmā ramaṇīyaṁ pravekṣyati ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Sau khi thiết lập những khuôn phép tốt lành của chánh hạnh do Svayambhū (Brahmā) định ra, Ngài—đấng mà danh tiếng và hành nghiệp đều có sức tẩy sạch—sẽ bước vào khu rừng mỹ lệ, lui về nơi hoang dã để tu tập kỷ luật và gìn giữ dharma.”

Word by Word

स्थापयित्वाhaving established

चand

मर्यादाःboundaries/ordinances

स्वयम्भुविहिताःordained by Svayambhū (Brahmā)

शुभाःauspicious

वनम्forest

पुण्ययशःकर्माone whose fame and deeds are meritorious

रमणीयम्delightful

प्रवेक्ष्यतिwill enter

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Svayambhū (Brahmā)

vana (forest)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is upheld by consciously establishing maryādā—clear ethical boundaries and norms—grounded in authoritative, cosmic order (here attributed to Svayambhū/Brahmā). True renown is not mere fame but the moral purity of one’s actions, which becomes a source of sanctity for oneself and others.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a virtuous figure who, after setting in place auspicious rules of conduct, withdraws into a beautiful forest—suggesting a transition from worldly life to disciplined practice (tapas) and a dharma-centered mode of living.